Once a month, the CALS Communications team hosts a workshop for all CALS departmental and unit communicators and communications enthusiasts. These sessions focus on best practices, tips and tools to ensure we are on-brand and effective in telling our college’s story.
We also seek to provide a space for networking and discussion among communicators in our college.
2023 Schedule
At these workshops, CALS Communications provides the latest practical guidance on various communications topics. and marketing topics. Have a topic you want us to cover? Email us.
Workshops are typically on the third Thursday of the month from 10 to 11 a.m.
| Workshop Title | Description | Host(s) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarComm Best Practices | Have a new or existing program that needs attention? This session will get you started on the right path. | Julie Hayworth-Perman and Justin Moore | 1/26 |
| Day of Giving Office Hours | Pop into a Day of Giving work session, and we’ll answer your questions, from social media and graphic design to fundraising and everything in between. | CALS Advancement and CALS Communications | 2/14 and 2/27 |
| Identify a Good Story and Creatively Tell It | We’ll discuss how to zero in on newsworthy ideas and find fresh angles for your stories. Bring your ideas, and let’s brainstorm together. | D’Lyn Ford and Emma Macek | 3/16 |
| Kick up the Creativity | We’ll work through writing prompts and brainstorm ways to jumpstart creativity during writer’s block. | Janine Brumfield | 4/20 |
| Podcasting a Story | Learn a few tricks that can go a long way in helping get your podcast off the ground. Join us on May 18 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. | Chris Liotta | 5/18 |
| Design 101 | We’ll show you the basics of designing on-brand, accessible print and digital communications, including flyers, social media posts and digital billboards. | Patty Mercer and Leighann Vinesett | 6/22 |
| Creative Email Designs | Learn tips and tricks for designing and building on-brand email templates in MailChimp. | Leighann Vinesett | 7/20 |
| Getting Smartphone Savvy – Part 2 | Picking up from last year’s workshop, we’ll dive deeper into creatively capturing photos and videos with cell phones. | Keeshan Ganatra | 8/17 |
| Webpage Building with Engaging Content | We’ll work through writing prompts and brainstorm ways to jumpstart creativity during writer’s block. | Krystal Lynch | 9/21 |
| Science Photography | Capture the beauty and intrigue of science to elevate your research. | TBD | 10/19 |
| Level Up Your Social Media | Take your social media strategy and content to the next level. Learn how to create engaging content to foster community, increase brand awareness and creatively convey your message. | Caro Metzler | 11/16 |
Catch up on previous CALS Comm Workshops on YouTube.
Resources
Day-to-Day Communications Strategy
Our goal is to make your life easier while ensuring your amazing stories get the coverage they deserve.
- Have great students? Send them this Q&A sheet to fill out (make sure to view it in Adobe Reader), proof and post.
- Have great faculty? We have a Q&A template for them.
- Amazing alums? Same idea, different questions.
Ask for headshots with all of these, maybe write a brief introduction, and you have good content with less than 30 minutes of work.
Planning
The best way to save time is to plan and know the CALS message.
- CALS Brand Promise and Core Messages – keep these in mind as you write, and you’ll never go wrong.
- A strategic monthly communications plan at a glance – five easy pieces: CALS Comm Monthly Content Strategy. Four of those will take you half an hour or less.
- When you start to write, use the CALS Comm Post Planner to save time by quickly organizing your thoughts to stay on message.
Recorded Sessions and Presentations
Unable to attend a session or want to revisit discussions from past workshops? We have materials for you to view.
- Presentation – ‘A Beginner’s Mind’: Creative Writing Workshop – January 2020
- Video – Using Strategic Brand and Tone When Writing for NC State – October 2019
- Presentation – Using Strategic Brand and Tone When Writing for NC State – October 2019
- PowerPoint – I’m Creating a Video…Now What? – August 2019
- Video – Want to Take Better Pictures? – June 2019
- PowerPoint – Want to Take Better Pictures? – June 2019
- Video – How to Stand Out in a Saturated World – February 2019
- Video – Social Media: What Not to Do – January 2019
- Video – Photography Tricks, Tips and Basics for Research or Marketing – Sept. 28, 2017
- Video – Social Media Tips and Tricks – April 27, 2017
- PowerPoint – Department Websites Update – Feb. 23, 2017
- PowerPoint – Guide to Publishing Events and News on Department Websites – Feb. 23, 2017
- Video – 30 Minutes or Less: Busy-Day Communications – May 19, 2016
- Video – 5 Minutes or Less: Busy-Day Communications – May 19, 2016
- Video – Four Steps to Telling Fantastic Stories – April 21, 2016
- Video – Building a Communications Strategy, Part 1 and Part 2 – March 17, 2016
Catch up on previous CALS Comm Workshops on YouTube.